MERICAN Journal of Public Diplomacy and International Studies www.
grnjournal.us public order, and sabotage, was adopted. One must say that this is not the only case of support
actions from KSA to OIC, regardless of the true causes and clarification the positions of the
parties. So, during the last summit of the OIC held on April 14-15 2016 in Turkey, the final
communiqué condemning the actions of Iran for interfering to the internal affairs of its neighbor
and support of terrorist groups was adopted, in connection with succession of events as the result
of the execution of prominent Shia preacher in Saudi Arabia, named Nimr al-Nimr.
Today, if nobody openly challenges the superiority of the KSA, it offers other models of an
Islamic state same as Pakistan and Iran. It is important to note that Saudi primacy in the Islamic
world is primarily a religious authority and financial support to developing economies. To
achieve a dominant role in the Islamic world, the KSA uses a variety of methods including the
financing of mosques and sending imams to the Muslim community, giving scholarships to
students of Islamic Sciences in KSA, the opening of religious schools (madrasas) and centers
that support Islamic studies in all universities of the world and other actions. To achieve its
global mission, Saudi Arabia has opened a network of Islamic institutions such as the World
Council of mosques, World Assembly of Muslim Youth, World
Muslim League, etc.
It should be noted that before 1990 the role of KSA in OIC has not been challenged by anyone,
whereas from this period on
new centers of Islamic power began to assert itself, increasingly
acquiring their status in the OIC. For example, during the recent summit of the OIC in Turkey
(April 14-15 2016) in Turkish press there were signals about the new leader of the OIC in the
face of Turkey: "We should not forget that Turkey is the largest member-state of the OIC, its
natural leader and big brother” (Kayaoglu, T.). For the return of their leading position and
prevention of such statements, KSA has taken active measures, including giving the position of
the Secretary-General of the former Minister of KSA Ayadu Madani.
Today, Saudi Arabia uses OIC to legitimize its regime to its citizens and to the international
community, most part of which is the Muslim world. The Kingdom is trying to limit
participation and the growing influence of other countries claiming to be independent Muslim
center in the world using their religious and financial benefits. The Saudi government is trying to
prevent the formation of new Islamic centers, which potentially have the opportunity to
challenge its leadership and unique position in the Islamic and Muslim world.
We came to the conclusion that the KSA is taking active steps to lead the Muslim world, using
its religious and financial capabilities. The Kingdom is also trying to prevent the emergence of
new centers of power in the Muslim world, those which present a possible danger to its existence
as the only leader of the entire Muslim world. To this end, KSA uses state and international
structures that have everything in the Muslim world, such as the Saudi Development Fund and
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to advance their soft power and implement their foreign
policy ambitions. The leading role in the OIC provides Saudi Arabia with the role of an example
for imitation and an exemplary model of state and social order for the rest of the Muslim world
and the "unified voice of the Muslim world" in front of the world's centers of power. Also, the
Kingdom legitimizes its vision of Islam to the subjects of the KSA and the world Muslim and
non-Muslim community through participation in the OIC.
In the short term, there will not be unity in the Muslim world as it is not in the OIC due to the
vast geography of Islam and not modest foreign policy ambitions of some Muslim States.
Despite the lack of a unified, recognized and exemplary center in the Muslim world, KSA has a
privileged position over other states who seek to challenge the leadership of the KSA in the
Muslim world and show their way of Muslim development as the most suitable. The so-called
"unique" mission of the Kingdom is explained by the fact that the CSA sees itself as a "truly
Islamic state" the duty of which is the dissemination and preservation of "pure Islam" among
Muslim and non-Muslim countries of the modern world. In this context, it is proposed to
strengthen the position of Saudi Arabia in the OIC, and the Islamic (Muslim) world as a whole.